My name is Private George Ruff. I am in General Armstead's division. It is July 3, 1863. When I was watching the confederate artillery firing at the union line. When I heard forward march. Everyone stood up and said forward march. We came out of the woods and stopped. We then put our bayonetts on our muskets. General Pickett came and said " For men up and to your post and let no man forget today, that you are from all of Virginia."Then Everyone started yelling Virginia! General Armstead said " Virginians, Virginians, for your homes, for your sweethearts for your wives, for Virgina, forward march." We marched straight at those yankees. We marched past the confederate cannons. As we marched past the cannons the artillery cheered. We started walking into the wheat field. As we kept on marching towards the Union line. As we got closer the Union artillery started to fire their cannons at us. General tremble came over and said we need to move faster. General Armstead said come on and we started jogging towards them. We crossed the fence. Armstead put his hat on his sword, and charged right at them. We got to the stonewall and drove them back a little ways. The Yankees fought back. All the sudden a union soldier shot General Armistead. I saw Armistead fall and was laying near a cannon. I got shot and crawled back to the confederate artillery. I could hear the Yankees yelling Fredricksburg. I crawled to a medic and got help.
Gettysburg Journal
July 3, 1863
My name is Private George Ruff. I am in General Armstead's division. It is July 3, 1863. When I was watching the confederate artillery firing at the union line. When I heard forward march. Everyone stood up and said forward march. We came out of the woods and stopped. We then put our bayonetts on our muskets. General Pickett came and said " For men up and to your post and let no man forget today, that you are from all of Virginia."Then Everyone started yelling Virginia! General Armstead said " Virginians, Virginians, for your homes, for your sweethearts for your wives, for Virgina, forward march." We marched straight at those yankees. We marched past the confederate cannons. As we marched past the cannons the artillery cheered. We started walking into the wheat field. As we kept on marching towards the Union line. As we got closer the Union artillery started to fire their cannons at us. General tremble came over and said we need to move faster. General Armstead said come on and we started jogging towards them. We crossed the fence. Armstead put his hat on his sword, and charged right at them. We got to the stonewall and drove them back a little ways. The Yankees fought back. All the sudden a union soldier shot General Armistead. I saw Armistead fall and was laying near a cannon. I got shot and crawled back to the confederate artillery. I could hear the Yankees yelling Fredricksburg. I crawled to a medic and got help.